The game of Asia Poker, often referred to as Pai Gow Poker, is gaining increased acceptance by casinos and other major gambling centers. In this game, a player is dealt seven cards which are arranged by the player to make two hands, viz., a two-card hand (low hand) and a five-card hand (high hand). The only requirement in forming the hands is that the low hand must be of a lower rank than the high hand. The ranking of the hands are the same as in traditional poker with the exception that the joker can be used to represent an ace or to represent one card of either a straight or a flush. Because of the use of a joker, five aces is the highest possible hand.
The game is started by each player placing a bet (ante). The dealer then deals seven cards to himself and each of six players. Usually, the dealer is a casino employee and the players compete against the casino by attempting to beat the dealer, although the dealer can be a customer as discussed below.
In playing the game, when the player forms his low hand and his high hand so that they are both respectively higher in rank than the low hand and the high hand of the dealer, the player is declared to be the winner and the dealer is a loser. Conversely, when the player forms his low hand and his high hand so that they are respectively lower in rank than the low hand and high hand of the dealer, the player is the loser and the dealer is the winner. The dealer wins all tied hands. Further, if the player wins one hand and the dealer wins the other hand, a “push” is declared and no one wins. If a player wins both hands, the bet made is matched, i.e., an even money bet is paid, less a commission of typically 5%.
As will be evident from the foregoing, no money exchanges hands, i.e., the bet is neither won or lost, when there is a push. It has been estimated that approximately forty percent of the outcomes in Asia Poker are pushes. The occurrence of a push or tie obviously diminishes the excitement of a hand, and because there are so many pushes, Asia Poker has limited appeal for many. Moreover, casinos and other gambling establishments prefer a game wherein there are more winning hands given that, in the long run, the casino will come out ahead because tie hands go to the casino, and the casino receives a commission in any event.